Chief rabbi urges IDF and defense minister to reverse punishment of religious soldiers

Israel’s chief rabbi has called on the country’s defense minister and military chief to reverse the punishment of religious soldiers who refused to board an armored personnel carrier with a female paramedic during an operational mission in Gaza.

In a letter to Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Rabbi Kalman Meir Ber said the dispute had become a matter of broad public importance. He warned that the military’s response could affect more than the soldiers directly involved.

The soldiers, from the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion, said boarding the Namer armored personnel carrier with the female medic conflicted with Jewish law and with understandings concerning the service conditions of religious troops. At least seven soldiers were later sent to military prison following disciplinary proceedings.

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Your camp shall be holy.

Ber argued that commanders should weigh the wider consequences of disciplinary decisions involving observant soldiers, not only formal military regulations. He cited the biblical phrase, “Your camp shall be holy,” and questioned whether the rights of soldiers whose religious commitments limit their participation in mixed-gender settings had received enough consideration.

The chief rabbi compared the issue with existing military accommodations for religious observance, including kashrut and Shabbat. He asked Katz and Zamir to change the relevant directives and cautioned against forcing soldiers to choose between serving and following their religious beliefs. He said such a choice could also affect graduates of hesder yeshivas and other observant Israelis who volunteer for demanding military service.

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with a painful heart and out of responsibility for the people of Israel and the unity of the nation